How Ajaz Patel ranks among Ian Botham and Shane Warne after NZ sweep India 3-0
New Zealand completed an historic three-nil Test series win over India in India this week.
The final fixture and the series overall yielded several interesting statistics.
Here’s just a few for your reading pleasure.
Ajaz Patel right up there with Shane Warne and Ian Botham
New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel has now taken 85 wickets in his first 21 Tests. Incredibly, he has not taken one in New Zealand. The 11 he took in Mumbai recently took him to 32 Test wickets in India. He has also taken 14 in Bangladesh, four in England, 17 in Sri Lanka – and 18 in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.
The Wankhede Stadium has been a successful hunting ground for Patel. He has taken 25 Test wickets at this venue – the most by any bowler against India, in India. England’s Ian Botham held the record previously with 22. Patel has also become one of eight bowlers to take two Test 10-fors at an away venue. The illustrious list includes Shane Warne, who took two 10-fors at The Oval in London.
Tough year at the office for Rohit Sharma
Captain Rohit Sharma is averaging a mere 13.3 after 10 Test innings during India’s current home season. This is among the lowest ever for a captain across a home Test season – with a qualifier of an eight-innings minimum and position among the top seven batters. In 2000, England’s Nasser Hussain averaged just 10.22 across six home Tests. Sharma has collected five home Test defeats this year.
“Something like this will be a very low point in my career, you know, having lost three games at home. And, yes, we, I fully take the responsibility for that as a captain and as a leader as well. I have not been at the best of my abilities right from the start of the series. And yeah, with the bat as well, I’ve not been good enough,” said Sharma.
Read more: Each country’s leading Test run-scorer in 2024
Left-armers’ union
Ravindra Jadeja and Patel shared four five-wicket hauls in the third and final Test of the series in Mumbai. This is the first time two left-armers – spin or seam – have combined for this in the same Test. The previous southpaws to do this were Pakistan’s Iqbal Qasim and England’s Ray Bright in Karachi in 1980.
Black Caps, Whitewash
This is the first time the Black Caps have won three Tests in a series. India‘s win-loss record while pursuing targets of 200 or less at home has moved to 31-1. This is also the first time they have lost a Test in Mumbai. They now have four losses in 10 home Tests in 2024. The last time they collected this many home Test defeats was in 1969.
Read next: Who are the leading run-scorers among active Test cricketers?
